Genre Writing with Stephen Cleary

$320 Open Channel Members / $384 Non-Members (inc GST)
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Location

TBC

How to Apply

Applications for this workshop have now closed.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

“Stephen is one of the world’s leading development consultants. He is a master of the screen storytelling arts and has a deep understanding of the alchemy that makes a story leap off the page, as well as a highly sought-after developer with an innate ability to help writers to create their best work.”

Open Channel is pleased to be hosting Stephen’s internationally renowned Genre Writing Workshop.

This workshop is a hands-on, practical guide to writing and developing genre stories. It demonstrates Stephen Cleary’s unique approach to genre, which once learnt and understood, you can apply to any story genre you are working with. In this workshop we will examine the Thriller, Horror and Romance film using his approach. On the first morning Stephen will explain his approach and guide you through it step by step. Then the workshop participants will explore each genre (Thriller, Horror, Romance), with a mixture of practical exercises, real-life examples and discussion, using Stephen’s method.

The workshop will conclude with a demonstration of what happens when you mix genres together and how Stephen’s approach allows you to predict and deal with the problems genre mixing raises before you start to write the script.

This workshop is essential for anyone working with genre, and is designed with screenwriters, script developers, producers and directors in mind. The approach is equally useful for television or feature film development.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The workshop is for anyone involved in the writing and development of drama for the screen: features, documentary features, TV drama both series and one-offs and online.

This workshop is not suitable for people approaching screenwriting for the first time. It is designed for people with a degree of experience and who are prepared to discuss their projects in a collaborative workshop environment.

Participants will need to be willing to discuss their project within the class.

APPLICATION DETAILS

TUTOR – STEPHEN CLEARY

Stephen Cleary works internationally as key consultant on features and television, including with the very successful SAFC FilmLab program. Stephen has worked as a producer and director of music films and documentaries, specialising in jazz and R&B. As well as working in development as a consultant and trainer for over the last 15 years, Stephen has produced two mid-range features and executive produced over 60 short films. More than 80 features that Stephen has developed have gone into production, at all budget levels, in more than a dozen different countries and a variety of languages. Stephen also lectures regularly for the Victorian College of the Arts.

Stephen is story consultant on the BBC TV series Hinterland, now going into its third series. He developed 52 Tuesdays, The Infinite Man, Inner Demon, Touch, My Mistress, The Death and Life of Otto Bloom which is about to go into production, story consultant on Graceful Girls which recently won best documentary at MIFF, on Bad Girls, currently shooting in WA, on the Swedish film Nordic Light to be directed by Dolph Lungren, on the BBC Film’s Wrong Planet, on the Piki Films (NZ) Achtung Bro. Stephen was a consultant on documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? currently airing on Netflix and was author of Nina Simone’s autobiography (as ghost writer).